Woman's Gang Memoir Exposed as Fake

New York (AP) A memoir by a white woman who claimed she was raised in poverty by a black foster mother and sold drugs for a gang in Los Angeles has been exposed as a fake.

“Love and Consequences” was published last week by Penguin's Riverhead books imprint. In it, author Margaret B. Jones writes about life in South-Central LA, including a foster brother who she said was gunned down by gang members.

Her story came apart after her sister saw an article about the author in the New York Times and contacted the publisher. It turns out she grew up in a well-off area of the San Fernando Valley.

The newspaper reports Jones admits having fabricated the entire book.

Riverhead has canceled a book tour and recalled all the copies. An editor at the company calls the discovery a “huge personal and professional betrayal.”

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